![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Joey Dee and the Starliters | |
---|---|
Genres | Rock and roll |
Years active | 1958–present |
Labels | Scepter, Roulette |
Members | Joey Dee David Brigati |
Past members | Larry Vernieri Carlton Lattimore Sam Taylor Willie Davis Bill Callanan |
Joey Dee and the Starliters (also credited as Joey Dee and the Starlighters) is an American popular music group. The group is best known for their million-selling recording "Peppermint Twist" (1961). [1] The group's most notable lineup is considered to be Joey Dee, David Brigati, Larry Vernieri (vocals), Carlton Lattimore (organ), Sam Taylor (guitar) and Willie Davis (drums). [1] Jimi Hendrix and Joe Pesci played guitar with the group at different times in the 1960s.
With lead singer Rogers Freeman, Joey Dee and the Starliters' first single was "Lorraine," backed with "The Girl I Walk To School," in 1958, distributed by the company Little. That same year, Joey Dee recruited David Brigati for the team after meeting him during a gig at Garfield High School in New Jersey. David and Joey would subsequently share lead vocal honors for the Starliters, with Joey ultimately becoming the primary lead singer. Another early single for the group was "Face of an Angel," with David as lead vocal, released on Scepter Records; the flipside was "Shimmy Baby." An album entitled The Peppermint Twisters and credited to "Joey Dee and the Starlighters" was subsequently released by the company Scepter as well.
In 1960, the Starliters were noticed by agent Don Davis while performing at a Lodi, New Jersey, nightclub called Oliveri's. The group was booked at an intimate venue on 45th Street in New York City called the Peppermint Lounge for what was supposed to be a one-time weekend gig. During their initial appearance at the nightclub, actress Merle Oberon and Prince Serge Oblinski were dancing much of the night there, which was reported the next morning by columnists Earl Wilson and Cholly Knickerbocker. The next night, it took barricades and mounted police to keep the crowds in line, which had backed to Broadway, and for several months thereafter, the craze continued at the Lounge. Celebrity visitors, such as Judy Garland, John Wayne, Jackie Kennedy, Nat "King" Cole, Shirley MacLaine, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Liberace, continued to make an appearance. Dee and company were such a sensation that they became the house band for the Peppermint Lounge for over a year. [1] Dee wrote "Peppermint Twist," along with producer Henry Glover, as a tribute to the lounge and the song scored #1 on the U.S. charts in early 1962. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. [2] By this time the team had contracted with Roulette Records.
In 1961, Joey Dee and the Starliters filmed the movie Hey, Let's Twist , starring Jo Ann Campbell and Teddy Randazzo, for Paramount Pictures. [1] Hey, Let's Twist was a fictional story of Joey Dee (Randazzo and Dino DiLuca played the parts of Joey's brother and father, respectively) and the Peppermint Lounge; its release capitalized on the current twist craze and made the once-obscure Lounge famous. The movie and soundtrack album did their part in making the Peppermint Lounge a world-famous venue. Successful singles spawned from Hey, Let's Twist were the title track and "Shout, Part I", [1] which became the group's second-biggest selling record, reaching #6 on the U.S. charts. It also sold a million copies, giving the group their second gold disc. [3] Other albums released during this time were Doin' The Twist at the Peppermint Lounge, which was recorded live at the venue, and All The World's Twistin' With Joey Dee & the Starliters (1961). [1]
In 1962, Joey Dee and the Starliters starred in their second motion picture, Two Tickets to Paris , [1] along with Gary Crosby, Jeri Lynne Fraser and Kay Medford. One of the songs from this film, "What Kind Of Love Is This," written by Johnny Nash, was released in September of that year and scored Top Twenty. [1] In December 1962, the original Starliters did their final recording session as a group, producing "Help Me Pick Up the Pieces," also composed by Nash, and "Baby, You're Driving Me Crazy," written by Joey Dee and Henry Glover. In 1963, Joey Dee recorded an album entitled Dance, Dance, Dance, with the Ronettes as his backup group. During spring of that year, Roulette released the track "Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes", from the previously issued live album, as a two-part single; the record made the U.S. Top Forty. Roulette later released "Ya Ya" and "Fannie Mae" from the same album. Also in 1963, former Mersey Beat editor Bill Harry quotes in his Sleeve notes for the 2004 CD The Early Tapes Of The Beatles that the group were the backing Band on the Tony Sheridan track Ruby Baby, though this has not been verified by any members. The track has been widely reissued on Various versions of the Beatles Hamburg Recordings. During October and November 1963, the Starliters toured Europe, performing one extraordinary night in Stockholm with The Beatles (already the biggest band in Northern Europe) as their opening act. In 1964, Joey Dee toured with various Starliters, including future Young Rascals Gene Cornish, Felix Cavaliere, and David's brother, Eddie Brigati. [1]
Jimi Hendrix and Joe Pesci played guitar with the group at different times in the 1960s. [4]
Dee continued to record and issue solo recordings from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, including a song he wrote with original Starliters David Brigati and Larry Vernieri entitled "How Can I Forget", which was released under the name Joey Dee and the New Starliters. [1] He continued to travel and make personal appearances with various Starliters.
In 2001 the group was featured on a PBS special, Rock, Rhythm and Doo-Wop, and in 2005 they appeared on the Jerry Lewis telethon for muscular dystrophy.
As of 2009 Joey Dee and the Starliters consists of Dee sometimes performing with Bobby Valli (brother of Frankie Valli) and original Starliter David Brigati and at other times with the original Soul Survivors Charlie and Richie Ingui, with the three singers taking the lead and performing their own hits as well as covers. Joey's son Ronnie DiNicola often plays saxophone and sings backup vocals for his father.
Dee has been a long time resident of Pinellas County in Florida.
On September 19, 2010, a street corner was dedicated to the band in their home town of Passaic, NJ. The street signing took place on the corner of Washington Place and Columbia Ave.
In 2021, Joey Dee released his autobiography, entitled Peppermint Twist Chronicles: My True Story of Sex, Rock n’ Roll, Jimi Hendrix, Fighting Racism, and the Mob. Dee’s memoirs were co-written by J. Kevin Morris.
Name | Instruments | Born | Place of birth | Died |
---|---|---|---|---|
Joey Dee (b. Joseph DiNicola) | vocals and saxophone | June 11, 1937 | Passaic, N.J. | |
David Brigati | vocals | October 29, 1940 | Garfield, N.J. | |
Larry Vernieri | vocals | October 9, 1941 | Newark, N.J. | December 7, 1999 [5] |
Carlton Lattimore | organ | 1939 | Passaic, N.J. | |
Willie Davis | drums | 1940 | Passaic, N.J. |
Year | A-side/B-side Both sides from same album except where indicated | Label & number | U.S. chart | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Billboard | Cashbox | ||||
1960 | "Shimmy Baby" b/w "Face of an Angel" | Scepter 1210 | - | - | The Peppermint Twisters |
1961 | "These Memories" b/w "(Bad) Bulldog" | Scepter 1225 | - | - | |
"Peppermint Twist" – Part I b/w Part II | Roulette 4401 | 1 | 2 | Doin' the Twist at the Peppermint Lounge | |
1962 | "Hey, Let's Twist" / "Roly Poly" | Roulette 4408 | 20 74 | 37 100 | Hey, Let's Twist! (Soundtrack) |
"Shout" Part I" b/w Part II | Roulette 4416 | 6 | 9 | Doin' the Twist at the Peppermint Lounge | |
"Everytime (I Think About You)" – Part One" b/w Part Two | Roulette 4431 | 105 | 80 | Two Tickets to Paris (Soundtrack) | |
"What Kind of Love Is This" b/w "Wing Ding" (from All the World Is Twistin'!) | Roulette 4438 | 18 | 17 | ||
"I Lost My Baby" b/w "Keep Your Mind on What You're Doin'" | Roulette 4456 | 61 | 61 | Joey Dee | |
1963 | "The Girl I Walk to School" b/w "Lorraine" | Bonus 7009 | - | - | Non-album tracks |
"Baby, You're Driving Me Crazy" b/w "Help Me Pick Up the Pieces" | Roulette 4467 | 100 | - | ||
"Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes" – Part I b/w Part II | Roulette 4488 | 36 | 40 | ||
"Dance, Dance, Dance" b/w "Let's Have a Party" | Roulette 4503 | 89 | 90 | Dance, Dance, Dance | |
"Ya Ya" b/w "Fanny Mae" | Roulette 4525 | - | - | Doin' the Twist at the Peppermint Lounge | |
"Getting Nearer" b/w "Down by the Riverside" | Roulette 4539 | - | - | Non-album tracks | |
1965 | "Cry a Little Sometime" b/w "Wing Ding" (from All the World Is Twistin'!) | Roulette 4617 | - | - | |
1966 | "Feel Good About It" – Part I b/w Part II | Jubilee 5532 | - | - | Hitsville! |
"Dancing on the Beach" b/w "Good Little You" | Jubilee 5539 | - | - | Non-album tracks | |
"It's Got You" b/w "She's So Exceptional" (non-album track) | Jubilee 5554 | - | - | Hitsville! | |
1967 | "Can't Sit Down" b/w "Put Your Heart in It" | Jubilee 5566 | - | - | Non-album tracks |
"How Can I Forget" b/w "How Can I Forget" (Instrumental) | Caneil 100 | - | - | ||
1970 | "Roses and Candy Kisses" b/w "Roses and Candy Kisses" | Tonsil 0003 (promo only) | - | - | |
The Rascals are an American rock band, formed in Garfield, New Jersey, United States, in 1965.
The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of the lead singer Veronica Bennett, her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. They had sung together since they were teenagers, then known as "The Darling Sisters". Signed first by Colpix Records in 1961, they moved to Phil Spector's Philles Records in March 1963 and changed their name to "The Ronettes".
The twist is a dance that was inspired by rock and roll music. From 1959 to the early sixties it became a worldwide dance craze, enjoying immense popularity while drawing controversies from critics who felt it was too provocative. It inspired dances such as the Jerk, the Pony, the Watusi, the Mashed Potato, the Monkey, and the Funky Chicken, but none was as popular.
Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed director.
"Peppermint Twist" is a song written by Joey Dee and Henry Glover, recorded and released by Joey Dee and the Starliters in 1961. Capitalizing on the Twist dance craze and the nightclub in which Dee performed, the song hit No.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1962. The original recording of the song was considered too long for release on a 45 rpm single, so it was split into two parts. It was this first part, "Peppermint Twist ", with a length of 2:03, which became the No.1 hit; the mostly instrumental second half of the recording is rarely heard today.
The Peppermint Lounge was a popular discotheque located at 128 West 45th Street in New York City that was open from 1958 to 1965, although a new one was opened in 1980. It was the launchpad for the global Twist craze in the early 1960s. Many claim The Peppermint Lounge was also where go-go dancing originated, although this claim is subject to dispute.
"The Twist" is an American pop song written and originally released in 1958 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side to "Teardrops on Your Letter". It was inspired by the twist dance craze. Ballard's version was a moderate hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960. On the US Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart, the original version of "The Twist" first peaked at number 16 in 1959 and at number six in 1960. By 1962, the record sold in excess of one million copies, becoming Ballard's fourth million seller.
Sam Taylor was an American jump blues musician and songwriter.
"Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" is a folk rock song written by the American musician Bob Dylan. In 1965, Columbia Records released it as a single, which reached number 58 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 17 on the UK chart in January 1966. While Dylan never included the song on any of his studio albums, it appears on compilations, such as Biograph and Side Tracks.
William Butler Jr. was an American soul jazz guitarist.
David Brigati is an American singer. He is sometimes known as "the fifth Rascal".
Joey and the Twisters was an American twist group, formed from remnants of the original Royal Teens around 1961. The group was led by Teens vocalist Joey Villa, along with several other members from the local Manhattan doo-wop scene. The band played regularly at the Peppermint Lounge in Manhattan, alongside Joey Dee and the Starliters and other acts.
"Fannie Mae" is a 1959 song, written and performed by the American blues and R&B singer, Buster Brown.
Henry Bernard Glover was an American songwriter, arranger, record producer and trumpet player. In the music industry of the time, Glover was one of the most successful and influential black executives. He gained eminence in the late 1940s, primarily working for the independent King label. His duties included operating as a producer, arranger, songwriter, engineer, trumpet player, talent scout, A&R man, studio constructor, while later in his career he became the owner of his own label. Glover worked with country, blues, R&B, pop, rock, and jazz musicians, and he helped King Records to become one of the largest independent labels of its time. Thanks to the efforts of family, friends and fans, Glover's hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2021 by inducting him into the downtown "Walk of Fame," the Mayor's "Proclamation," "Key to the City," and named a parklet "Henry Glover Way," along Black Broadway after him. In 2018, Glover was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the King Records 75th Anniversary. In 2013, he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Gene Cornish is a Canadian-American musician. He is an original member of the popular 1960s blue-eyed soul band The Young Rascals. From 1965 to 1970, the band recorded eight albums and had thirteen singles that reached Billboard's Top 40 chart. In 1997, as a founding member of The Rascals, Cornish was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Hey, Let's Twist! is a 1961 American musical film directed by Greg Garrison and written by Hal Hackady. The film stars Joey Dee, Jo Ann Campbell, Teddy Randazzo, Kay Armen, Zohra Lampert and Dino Di Luca. The film was released on December 31, 1961, by Paramount Pictures.
Two Tickets to Paris is a 1962 film directed by Greg Garrison and starring Joey Dee and the Starliters.
Le 2.000.000eme disque des Chausettes Noires is the first studio album released by the French rock and roll band Les Chaussettes Noires. It was released on the Barclay label in 1962. The album was later reissued on compact disc.
For 'Teen Twisters Only is the fifth album by Chubby Checker and was released in 1961 by Parkway Records.